Dr. Howard Smith Oncall

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/mIwQOTwREXY A mother smoking before and during pregnancy increases the risk that her child will die unexpectedly during infancy.  Seattle Children’s Hospital pediatricians and the data jockeys at Microsoft Corporation collaborated to analyze the CDC’s infant death data covering almost 21 million births and close to 20,000 episodes of infant death. The risk of unexpected infant death skyrocketed by a factor of nearly 2.5 times with any maternal cigarette smoking, even one cigarette a day, during pregnancy.  The chance that her infant might die increased by 7% for each cigarette from 1 to 20 per day.  Even mothers who smoked within 3 months before becoming pregnant and quit once pregnant had a 47% increased chance of an infant death. This study adds the precision of huge numbers to previous investigations that have already associated maternal smoking with sudden infant death.  If you are even thinking about becoming pregnant, you and anyone with whom you live should stop smoking at lea

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/KTnE7itSwwY Sporadic over-consumption of alcohol during adolescent years leads to epigenetic alterations in the cells of brain tissue, and that modification forever damages later emotional stability.  Experiments proving this phenomenon from the University of Illinois-Chicago were just published in the journal Biological Psychiatry. Using an adolescent rat model, the scientists showed that repeated, intense exposures to alcohol early in life led to overt anxiety later in the animals’ lifespans.  Neuroanatomic studies revealed that the binge drinking led to a significant reduction of a protein ARC in the amygdala.  This missing protein was associated with a 40% reduction in critical neuronal connections.  Worse yet, stopping drinking failed to correct the deficit. The amygdala is the coordinating center for our emotions, and wiring problems in this zone will create emotional shortfalls including anxiety and depression.  This can lead to a closed loop and a downward spiral where the ef

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/s4Lxva4O0Pk Sleep deprivation will drive you to consume a wider variety of products.  Marketing researchers from the University of British Columbia’s business school draw this conclusion from several studies of buying patterns as a function of sleepiness.   Their experiments included artificial situations such as choosing candy bars on more or less sleep and a look at the consumption patterns of some 60,000 American households whose occupants lost sleep with the shift to daylight savings time.  Their shopping is quantitated in the Nielsen consumer panel data set.  I guess Nielsen watches more than our TV viewing habits. The results from the various experiments told similar stories.  We human consumers tend to crave variety when we’re tired.  It seems that the search for new products or a variety of the same product helps to stimulate our brains and keep us awake.  It’s shopping as the ultimate form of self-stimulation. It’s not rocket science to conclude that the search for variety w

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/YBZgDChW8Xg Smartphones and tablets have not reduced the 90 minutes a day that children and teens traditionally spend with other family members.  Sociologists at the British Universities of Oxford and Warwick reviewed journals from nearly 2500 children 8 to 16 years of age and journals from their parents as well.    The data shows that personal electronics actually added about 30 minutes to the amount of time the kids spent at home. This extra time, though, was not social time but rather what the scientists referred to as “alone-together” time.  You know what that is: the child is physically present but the mind is in some other galaxy or medieval castle.  So there is good and bad news from this study.  It’s good that true family time remains during meals, shared discussions, and communal TV time as long as the devices are not in everyone’s hands.  The news is bad as the the extra 30 minutes at home may be robbing our kids of true social interactions with their peers.   While some of

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/9mnVzvXuIoo Wiping a memory away requires more brain resources than retaining that thought.  Neuroscientists from the University of Texas at Austin report these findings after studying a group of adult subjects using functional MRI brain imaging to determine the levels of brain activity while attempting to either remember or forget images of people or scenes. The brain is far more active as you try to forget a memory than if you are attempting to retain it.  The act of forgetting requires your brain to very actively engage with that memory as shown by MRI activity in the prefrontal cortex control center, the ventral temporal cortex, and in the hippocampus memory bank. It is far easier to forget a scene than to wipe the memory of faces.  Images of people carry far more emotional energy.  To forget either, you shouldn’t try too hard since the studies revealed that too much attention or too little attention to the item failed to erase it. Our brains are constantly curating and prioritiz

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/oHVdoCrx_4c The poor ole egg is again under attack again.  Numerous studies over the past 30 years have declared the egg to be innocent of being an accessory before the fact when it comes to driving artery hardening, heart attacks, and strokes.  Many nutrition experts have stated that the majority of the cholesterol in our body is synthesized in the liver from the fats that we ingest.  They state that limiting your intake of saturated and trans- fats will keep your cholesterol and other lipids in control. Now a study from Northwestern University suggests that a higher cholesterol intake, 300 mg or more per day, is associated with a 17% higher risk of cardiovascular disease and an 18% higher risk of death from all causes.  The cholesterol comes in egg yolks, red meat, and high fat dairy products such as cream, cheese, and butter.   The study was a meta-analysis of 6 other studies covering nearly 30,000 adults with nearly 18 years of followup on average.  Experts reviewing the data and

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/XiP1t2R8KdA I’m Dr. Howard Smith, PENTA Medical Network,  reporting from NYC with the Health News Roundup for the 3rd week of MARCH, 2019.  This is Health News You Should Use, the latest medical discoveries that you can use in a practical way to keep yourself and your family healthy.   Here are this week’s headlines: Eggs or No Eggs: Can You Eat Them Safely? It’s Easier For Your Brain To Remember Than Forget  Digital Devices Do Not Reduce Family Time The Sleepier You Are, The More You Tend to Buy Teen Binge Drinking Permanently Damages The Brain Smoking Drives Up Risks of Sudden Unexpected Infant Death Statins Do Prevent Heart Attacks.....If You Take Them Fertility App DOT Works As Well As The Pill Virtual Reality Helps Fine Tune Your Balance An Antibiotic Wrapper Prevents Pacemaker Infections Are Sit-Stand Desks Really Good For You? Mushrooms May Help Prevent Those Senior Moments FDA Warns That Thermography Is Not Effective Breast Cancer Screening  You May Be Allergic To Your Pills

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/q71bhoFuam4 Here are the headlines for this weeks stories: Toxins At Home And In Food Can Make You Sterile Raw Dog Food Contains Dangerous Bacteria Mediterranean Diet Turbocharges You In Just Days Young Women Need Better Lipid Screening Childbirth In the 50s Can Be As Safe As In The 40s Pregnancy Infections May Trigger Autism and Depression Vaping Triggers Heart Attacks and Strokes Bosses Who Bully Kill Their Own Bottom Lines Environmental Music Synchronizes Everyone’s Brainwaves New Immunotherapy For Advanced Breast Cancer Snoring And Sleep Apnea Linked to Young Athletes’ Sudden Death Napping Controls Blood Pressure Infants Distinguish Family From Strangers By Laughter Hookah Smoking Is Even More Dangerous Than Cigarettes TRY A LITTLE KINDNESS: Checkout Guy Fulfills Special Needs Child’s Dream   For more information#you’ll find all the references for the stories and a copy of show notes on my website at: https://www.drhowardsmith.com/mar-2019-1st-week-health-news

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/E40hnE1C8yA Nine year old Lilly has special needs.  She is intrigued by bagging at the grocery store and loves seeing how the various packages fit together in any given bag just like a puzzle. On a recent trip to the market with her mom, she was eyeing the bags when cashier Isaac Witte asked her if she would like to help him bag.  She was delighted and did a magnificent job not just helping but literally bagging all the groceries.  Her mom videoed the entire episode. When Lilly finished, she gazed back at Isaac smiling and gushed “I love you.”  Later, she and mom returned to the store to give Isaac a handmade thank you card.  While there, the store manager added to the magic by telling Lilly that once she turned 16, she would have a job at the store. https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/social-media-is-melting-over-cashiers-kindness-towards-special-needs-girl-at-the-supermarket-watch/ #Kindness #specialneeds

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/m3yHMVTJ3zw Hookah smoking is considered safe and fun.  It attracts teens and young adults by the droves.   This cavalier attitude is drawing alarm from the American Heart Association, and it is time to set the record straight. Water pipe smoking is industrial strength tobacco smoking.  A one hour hookah session exposes the smoker to the nicotine and tar equivalent of 100 cigarettes. Then consider the additional dangers.  The flavoring chemicals added to the tobacco mix themselves have toxicity.  Then we have the charcoal that is used to burn the flavored tobacco that adds its own carcinogens and carbon monoxide.   Beyond that, you can contract a nasty infection from the shared mouthpiece. Here’s the hooker: the water through which the smoke bubbles cools the smoke but does not filter the toxic chemicals. Hookah smoking is popular because it is a social activity and seems cool.  Pass on this information to your teens so that they understand the risks to the heart and lungs from hooka

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/ujmnLUq7wdk Young infants use the quality of laughter they hear to help them separate family and friend from stranger danger.  A joint study by communication psychologists at New York University and UCLA concludes that babies as young as 5 months of age can detect social relationships by decoding the sounds of laughter. Using both audio and video experiments, the investigators showed that these infants could distinguish between the laughter of friends and strangers with visual or with only audio cues.  The babies definitely preferred listening to the laughter of friends. When the sounds did not match the video as would be case when the the infants heard friend laughter but saw strangers, the babies acted somewhat puzzled and continued listening to decode the situation. This research once again shows just how perceptive young infants can be.  As parents, we need to be sensitive to their skills and needs by populating their world with consistent happiness and security. #Laughter #frien

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/08vDhmJzUMc A one-hour midday nap can help you control your blood pressure as well as taking medications or changing your diet.  Greek cardiologists will be presenting their data demonstrating this effect next week at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Sessions. The researchers studied more than 200 middle aged subjects comparing the blood pressures of those who napped with those who did not.  The napping group enjoyed an average of 5 mmHg lower systolic pressure and an average of 3 mmHg lower diastolic pressure.  These numbers don’t sound impressive but they are. A midday napping “reset” relaxes both the cardiovascular system and the brain.  A regular nap certainly beat popping blood pressure pills or disgusting, restrictive diets. #Napping #hypertension #diet #stress American College of Cardiology. "A nap a day keeps high blood pressure at bay: Catching some midday shut-eye linked to similar drops in blood pressure seen with other lifestyle changes, some medicat

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/U077ZmTUQiE Stocky, young athletes often experience disordered sleep snd breathing patterns that could predispose them to heart attack and sudden death.  Exercise scientists from Japan’s Showa University explored this situation by studying 42 male rugby players 18-19 years of age. After formal sleep studies were completed, 43% of the players experienced significant sleep disordered breathing with snoring, dangerous pauses in their breathing, higher than normal heart rates, and lower than normal oxygen levels.  Further studies of these athletes’ hearts revealed rhythm abnormalities suggesting they had potentially lethal cardiac damage already. If you have a teen or a spouse, male or female,  “sawing wood at night,” don’t ignore it.  Push for a formal sleep study to determine if the noisy breathing is accompanied by dangerous oxygen level dips and heart rate abnormalities. #Snoring #apnea #hypoxia #sleepdisorderedbreathing #teens #athletes Yoshitaka Iso, Hitomi Kitai, Etsushi Kyuno, Fu

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/eN_3h-Beq0E The FDA now announces approval of a new immunotherapy agent for treatment of so-called triple negative breast cancer that is either locally advanced or has already spread to other body organs.  Triple negative breast cancer, notoriously difficult to treat, has cells that lack any of the three cell receptors which facilitate the effectiveness of traditional hormonal- and chemo- therapy.   The drug is the checkpoint inhibitor atezolizmumab, branded as Tecentriq by Genentech.  It received an accelerated thumbs up by the FDA on a compassionate basis.  It must be used in conjunction with the chemotherapeutic agent paclitaxel. Preliminary studies of this combo therapy demonstrated that breast cancer patients whose tumors lack estrogen, progesterone, and growth factor receptors but do have the PD-L1 receptor and therefore were eligible for immunotherapy plus chemotherapy lived 60% longer than those treated with chemotherapy alone. As these results are only preliminary but very p

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/75kcONZby7w Music can keep groups of people engaged by synchronizing and pacing their brainwaves, but not all types of music have this effect.  Engineers at the City College of New York studied the neural responses of audiences in response to various forms of music. Their research shows that unfamiliar scores synchronize communal brains most effectively, and the positive effects recur even with repetition.  On the other hand, familiar pieces failed to drive audience brain synch even with repetition.   Music-induced brain synch does work best for those audiences with some pre-formed appreciation for music. Speaking as a surgeon, I’ve always found that music in the operating room helped to establish an efficient yet safe work pace.   Relying on my team to help choose the music reduced stress and optimized group satisfaction. #Music #audiences #engagement #brainsynchronization #musicappreciation Jens Madsen, Elizabeth Hellmuth Margulis, Rhimmon Simchy-Gross, Lucas C. Parra. Music synchr

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/SBQp1xuaQf4 Abusive bosses who rule with a heavy hand are managing their own failure.  This is the conclusion of a 427 study meta-analysis completed by researchers at Portland State University and published in the Journal of Management. Managers perceived as unfair, unhelpful, and impersonal trigger counterproductive and passive-aggressive work behaviors including work slow-downs, delayed arrivals in the morning,  extended breaks during the work day, calling-in sick, and frank workplace sabotage.  Obnoxious leaders create a toxic work environment, staff stress, and departures of valuable team members. The most successful managers walk around the workplaces to kindle personal work relationships with their staff.  Once bosses know their subordinates as people, they can better function as facilitators to help everyone on the team shine and in so doing burnish their own reputations. #Managers #bullies #sabotage #toxicenvironment #work Yucheng Zhang, Xin Liu, Shan Xu, Liu-Qin Yang, Timoth

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/Ba4CdsBjh4I E-cigarettes, touted as being safer than tobacco cigarettes, seem to trigger heart attacks and strokes.  This is the conclusion of research from the University of Kansas that studied nearly 100,000 Americans.  It was presented recently at this year’s meeting of the American College of Cardiology. Those who vape are 56% more likely to suffer a heart attack, 30% more likely to have a stroke, and 55% more likely to be depressed or at least anxious.   E-cigarettes also expose users to as much or more of the highly addictive drug nicotine compared with conventional cigarettes. Proponents of vaping claim that e-cigarette users can avoid tobacco’s carcinogenic tars.  Studies are now showing that the flavorings added to the liquid nicotine are themselves toxic and carcinogenic.   Worse yet, manufacturers of the nearly 500 brands of e-cigarettes are following the tobacco companies’ evil playbook and marketing these devices to children and adolescents.  The bottom line is that anyt

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/oThU1o302_w Children of mothers who suffered a serious infection during pregnancy have a higher risk of autism and depression.  This is the result of a study looking at some 1.8 million Swedish children that was just published in JAMA Psychiatry. For those mothers who required inpatient therapy for infection during their pregnancies,  their children had a 79% higher risk of autism and a 24% higher risk of depression.  There was no higher risk of other psychiatric problems including bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. This study only demonstrates an association without explaining why it happens.  It is a powerful reminder that women and their partners during the childbearing years should be fully vaccinated against all infections.  It is ironic that anti-vaxxer pregnant women may be giving birth to children at higher risk for autism. #Maternalinfection #vaccination #autism #depression Benjamin J. S. al-Haddad, Bo Jacobsson, Shilpi Chabra, Dominika Modzelewska, Erin M. Olson, Raphael Be

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/tiqLuSu8Rw8 Obstetricians at Israel’s Ben Gurion University now proclaim that “50 is the new 40 when it comes to childbirth!”  They studied more than 8,000 pregnant women 40 years and above. The data revealed that complications such as premature birth, gestational diabetes, high blood pressure, and a need for c-section were no higher for those in their 50s compared with mothers in their 40s.  They do however consider all pregnancies in women 40 or older to be high risk with a need for careful followup of blood sugars and blood pressures. This is all well and good, but just because it’s possible for parents to have a child when they are over 50 doesn’t mean that it’s a good idea.  Raising children requires lots of energy and lots of money.   Couples in their 50s may have both, but they don’t have the 30 to 40 years that couples in their 20s and 30s have before they reach an age when their bodies and minds are entering the relaxation mode.   Children need guidance throughout their and

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/vkno1b7LI28 Nearly eighty percent of young women have never had a check of their cholesterol and other lipid levels.  This is the finding of a study by University of Pennsylvania cardiologists after reviewing the records of more than 5,000 women admitted to the UPenn hospital for childbirth. The current American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association guidelines recommend that all adults 20 years or older have regular lipid screening.  Furthermore, they suggest a spot check once around age 10 and another around age 18.  If there is a family history of a lipid disorder, even younger children should also have a cholesterol check between the ages of 2 and 10 years. One in every three American adults does have elevated cholesterol, a condition that lacks any symptoms until it may be too late.  To catch and treat this condition before the inevitable heart attack or stroke, the UPenn cardiologists recommend that every woman should have a lipid test as she enters her prenatal c